1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to container assemblies which are useful for both transport and disposal of sharp medical instruments and other medical materials and more specifically to container assemblies which provide evidence of tampering when opened after transport of new medical materials and to container assemblies which deny direct access to sharps waste which has been previously deposited in a container assembly which has been used to transport contaminated medical sharps from one site to another site where additional contaminated sharps are to be introduced.
2. The Present State of the Art
The possibility of exposure to AIDS or other life-threatening diseases by medical personnel disposing of used sharp medical instruments has created a crucial need for an improved container that provides better protection against contracting potentially deadly diseases, especially a sharps container which meets the needs of portability. The term "sharps" refers to sharp medical instruments such as syringes, scalpels, lancets, and the like.
Sharps containers have been developed to facilitate the disposal of used medical instruments. Used instruments may be contaminated by bodily fluids of patients, or for other reasons may require sanitary disposal. However, many sharps containers require medical personnel to touch or otherwise handle a sharp instrument during insertion into the container. For example, some sharps containers have two biased flaps through which sharps are horizontally inserted by pressing downward on the sharp while forcing it into the container. Other sharps containers require sharps deposition to be made via a vertical drop, considered to be dangerous as waste is thereby commonly postured in a vertical orientation for easier access to sharps. As the container fills, medical personnel run the risk of being stabbed by a previously inserted needle. As well, it is common for sharps containers to provide ready and direct access to previously deposited sharps through a container opening, such as from containers with vertical deposition.
Especially, improvements in the ability to transport unused sharps and to dispose of them in the same container are desirable. New sharps are typically transported in one type of container and then disposed of in another container after use. Further, it is generally recognized by those skilled in transport and delivery of medical instruments that it is critically important to provide evidence of tampering for each user immediately prior to opening a container of new medical instruments. Also, it is desirable to provide for locking or sealing the lid of a container filled to a level at which it is ready for final disposal.
In cases, such as home care, it may be advisable to carry out all sharps which have been used and contaminated during a home-care visit. In other medical situations, such as care in psychiatric wards and emergency wards in hospitals and in emergency situations in general, it may also be advisable and prudent to safely transport used and contaminated sharps from a site of administration. For efficacy of use of sharps containers in cases and situations where such transport is performed, it is often best to have a container which can be safely used for discarding sharps at more than one care site.